QUIZ – 2017: Insights Current Affairs Quiz,23 May 2018

The following quiz will have 5-10 MCQs . The questions are mainly framed from The Hindu and PIB news articles.

This quiz is intended to introduce you to concepts and certain important facts relevant to UPSC IAS civil services preliminary exam 2018. It is not a test of your knowledge. If you score less, please do not mind. Read again sources provided and try to remember better.

Please try to enjoy questions, discuss the concepts and facts they try to test from you and suggest improvements.

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INSIGHTS CURRENT EVENTS QUIZ 2017

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The following Quiz is based on the Hindu, PIB and other news sources. It is a current events based quiz. Solving these questions will help retain both concepts and facts relevant to UPSC IAS civil services exam.

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Question 1 of 5

1. Question

1 points

The ‘CarbFix’ project in Iceland, recently in the news, aims to

a) Accelerate the pace of incorporation of carbon into organic compounds by living organisms

b) Capture and convert carbon dioxide into stone forever

c) Utilise carbon dioxide captured from air for the purpose of enhanced oil recovery

The Hellisheidi power station, outside Reykjavik, is Iceland’s main geothermal plant, and is one of the largest in the world. This is a volcanic area. The volcano’s internal heat is harnessed to generate electricity and provide hot water for the city’s heating systems. Hellisheidi is not just an accomplished provider of green energy. It is also the site for a scientific breakthrough; an experiment to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) and turn it into stone – forever.

Called CarbFix, the project is pioneered by an international consortium led by Reykjavík Energy, the French National Centre for Scientific Research, the University of Iceland and Columbia University. It stands out among CCS experiments because the capture of carbon is said to be permanent – and fast.

The process starts with the capture of waste CO2 from the steam, which is then dissolved into large volumes of water. The fizzy liquid is then piped to the injection site where it is pumped 1,000m beneath the surface. In a matter of months, chemical reactions will solidify the CO2 into rock – thus preventing it from escaping back into the atmosphere for millions of years. However, this project is very water intensive. Over 25 tonnes of water per tonne of CO2 is needed.

Image: Basalt is “carbon’s best friend”, because it is a porous rock that contains high amounts of calcium, magnesium and iron, which bind with the pumped CO2 to help it solidify into a mineral.

The Hellisheidi power station, outside Reykjavik, is Iceland’s main geothermal plant, and is one of the largest in the world. This is a volcanic area. The volcano’s internal heat is harnessed to generate electricity and provide hot water for the city’s heating systems. Hellisheidi is not just an accomplished provider of green energy. It is also the site for a scientific breakthrough; an experiment to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) and turn it into stone – forever.

Called CarbFix, the project is pioneered by an international consortium led by Reykjavík Energy, the French National Centre for Scientific Research, the University of Iceland and Columbia University. It stands out among CCS experiments because the capture of carbon is said to be permanent – and fast.

The process starts with the capture of waste CO2 from the steam, which is then dissolved into large volumes of water. The fizzy liquid is then piped to the injection site where it is pumped 1,000m beneath the surface. In a matter of months, chemical reactions will solidify the CO2 into rock – thus preventing it from escaping back into the atmosphere for millions of years. However, this project is very water intensive. Over 25 tonnes of water per tonne of CO2 is needed.

Image: Basalt is “carbon’s best friend”, because it is a porous rock that contains high amounts of calcium, magnesium and iron, which bind with the pumped CO2 to help it solidify into a mineral.

3. Question

1 points

Which one of the following African countries was recently in the news due to the Lassa fever?

a) Western Sahara

b) Nigeria

c) South Africa

d) Mozambique

Correct

Solution: b.

Since the beginning of the year, Nigeria has been gripped by an outbreak of a deadly disease. Lassa fever (the disease was first identified in the Nigerian town of Lassa in 1969) is one of a number of illnesses which can cause dangerous epidemics, but for which no vaccine currently exists. Lassa fever is not a new disease, but the current outbreak is unprecedented, spreading faster and further than ever before.

Lassa fever normally has a fatality rate of about one per cent. But in the Nigerian outbreak it is thought to be more than 20% among confirmed and probable cases.

Since the beginning of the year, Nigeria has been gripped by an outbreak of a deadly disease. Lassa fever (the disease was first identified in the Nigerian town of Lassa in 1969) is one of a number of illnesses which can cause dangerous epidemics, but for which no vaccine currently exists. Lassa fever is not a new disease, but the current outbreak is unprecedented, spreading faster and further than ever before.

Lassa fever normally has a fatality rate of about one per cent. But in the Nigerian outbreak it is thought to be more than 20% among confirmed and probable cases.

4. Question

With reference to the recently formed Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), consider the following statements:

1.The goal of the coalition is to focus on low-cost manufacturing of vaccines for vaccine-preventable diseases

2.It is an alliance between the Indian Pharmaceutical Association, the US Agency for International Development and the World Health Organisation only

Which of the statements above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Correct

Solution: d.

CEPI is a new alliance between governments, industry, academia, philanthropy, intergovernmental institutions, such as the World Health Organization, and civil society.

“We exist to finance and coordinate the development of new vaccines to prevent and contain infectious disease epidemics.”

The coalition will not focus on diseases that already have sufficient attention, but will be guided by WHO’s Blueprint, which lists certain illnesses to focus on. The goal of the coalition is to focus on diseases which do not have a large market in global terms.

India is represented by the Ministries of Science and Technologies and Health and Family Welfare.

CEPI is a new alliance between governments, industry, academia, philanthropy, intergovernmental institutions, such as the World Health Organization, and civil society.

“We exist to finance and coordinate the development of new vaccines to prevent and contain infectious disease epidemics.”

The coalition will not focus on diseases that already have sufficient attention, but will be guided by WHO’s Blueprint, which lists certain illnesses to focus on. The goal of the coalition is to focus on diseases which do not have a large market in global terms.

India is represented by the Ministries of Science and Technologies and Health and Family Welfare.

Disease X represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease, and so the R&D Blueprint explicitly seeks to enable cross-cutting R&D preparedness that is also relevant for an unknown “Disease X” as far as possible.

Disease X represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease, and so the R&D Blueprint explicitly seeks to enable cross-cutting R&D preparedness that is also relevant for an unknown “Disease X” as far as possible.